Gifted Castaway
by Leesa Perrie
Summary: This is an AU. Basically, they arrive on Atlantis and there's this genius, pain in the neck teenager who's already laid claim to the place prior to their arrival!
1. Chapter One: The Genius Misfit

**Gifted Castaway**

**By Leesa Perrie**

_An AU and kidfic, of sorts. Where full names are known, I have used them. Where full names are not known (in canon), I have refrained from making them up._

* * *

"_I'm a nightmare, a disaster  
That's what they'd always say  
I'm a lost cause, not a hero  
But I'll make it on my own  
I've gotta prove them wrong"_

_Lyrics from 'Me Against the World' by Simple Plan_

* * *

**Chapter One – The Genius Misfit**

The Atlantis Expedition, headed by Dr Elizabeth Weir, and with Colonel Marshall Sumner as Chief Military Officer, Dr Carson Beckett as Chief Medical Officer and Dr Radek Zelenka as Chief Science Officer, entered the lost city of Atlantis, to find that it was powered up and sitting on the surface of a great ocean.

A matter of minutes after entering the city, it became evident that the place had been inhabited until recently, possibly even still was. Excitement at the possibility of meeting Ancients soon turned to puzzlement as a handful of Earth computers were discovered patched into Atlantis' systems. However, no sign of the people responsible was immediately obvious.

Colonel Sumner organised security teams to work out from the control room and check for life, and ordered the scientific staff to remain in the gate room until areas were secured.

Dr Zelenka, along with Dr Peter Grodin, studied the laptops, trying to get a grasp on what each one was linked into, and learning how things were set up in this alien city, and what wonders it held.

Three hours passed, and no sign of inhabitants had been found by the security teams, but a lot of other things had been. Such as ships that were clearly designed to go through the stargate, and information including the fact that the power levels in the city were extremely low. It was clear that the ZPM was depleted, and that the central tower was being powered by a single naquadah generator. The rest of the city was in darkness.

They also found evidence that the city had at one time been under the surface of the ocean, and that the shield had been failing, causing at least two areas to be flooded. And then they discovered the life sign detector. Unfortunately, it only covered the central tower, and there were no life signs unaccounted for by expedition members.

It was certainly a puzzle, and one that would not be explained for several hours.

* * *

Colonel Sumner and his teams had checked out the level that the control room was on, and the two levels below, and temporary quarters were set up within these areas, as well as a temporary mess hall and small infirmary. Guards were posted at the entrances to each level, and people were split up into teams and shifts. Supplies were moved into surrounding corridors and rooms, and the gate room started to look less cluttered.

Peter had found the gate shield, which had caused several sighs of relief, and Radek and his team were beginning to understand how the database was set up.

Seven hours after arriving in Atlantis, the personnel were still coming to terms with the fact that they were in an alien city in another galaxy, with no immediate way home, when the stargate activated and a wormhole formed.

Peter, who was still in the control room, attempted to bring up the shield, and found to his dismay that it was no longer responding. Colonel Sumner was called to the gateroom, and the security team stationed there quickly took up positions to defend against any potential hostiles that came through.

But what came through was definitely unexpected. Just one person, a teenager, exited the wormhole carrying a sack, which he put down as soon as he was through. The wormhole disengaged behind him as he looked around. Elizabeth saw fear and surprise flit across his face, to be swiftly replaced with annoyance.

"Who are you?" the kid demanded, jittering nervously whilst managing to sound irritated at the same time.

"We could ask the same of you," Elizabeth said, looking at him closely. He was human, with short brown hair and piercing blue eyes. About fourteen to sixteen at a guess. Pale and on the skinny side, he wore blue jeans that had seen better days, and a ratty looking blue t-shirt with the faded words 'I have nothing to declare except my genius' on it, along with a pair of scuffed and dirty sneakers. Definitely from Earth, though how he had come to be in the Pegasus Galaxy was anyone's guess.

"I'm Rodney McKay, genius," he said smugly, though Elizabeth could still see a glimmer of fear underneath. He narrowed his eyes at them. "You're from Earth," he stated. "SGC?"

"Yes, we're from Earth. So are you, by the looks of things," Elizabeth came down the stairs to the gate room floor. "We're a multi-national expedition, to find the city of Atlantis, the lost city of the Ancients."

"Not lost anymore," the boy said, tilting his head slightly, and seemingly judging whether she was to be trusted or not. "A military expedition? Because, forgive me, but you don't look military to me."

"A civilian expedition, with a military escort," Elizabeth confirmed. "I'm Dr Elizabeth Weir, leader of the expedition. How did you come to be here?"

The kid folded his arms across his chest, and glowered at the guns still aimed in his direction, before turning his gaze back to Elizabeth, with a raised eyebrow.

"Colonel Sumner, I think your men can stand down. I doubt he's much threat to us."

"We don't know that, ma'am," the Colonel responded uneasily.

"No, we don't, not for certain," she looked round, noting which military people were in the room, and made a decision. "Colonel, Major, shall we step into the meeting room we found a short while ago? I'm sure the two of you would be sufficient to defend me, should that be necessary."

Sumner nodded.

"Rodney," she indicated the stairs. "I think we should take this talk somewhere quieter."

"Fine," Rodney watched the two military men warily, but followed them to the meeting room. Elizabeth asked Radek and Carson to join them as well.

* * *

Rodney sat on a chair furthest away from everyone else, crossing his arms over his chest again, and watching them through narrowed and wary eyes. Elizabeth made introductions, hoping to try and put him more at ease.

"We'd like to know how you came to be here," Elizabeth said, watching him closely.

"Okay," he paused, clearly thinking. "Well, there were these people, Rogue NID I think. They turned up about four years back, when I was twelve, and took me through a stargate. Only they lost access to it after that, and couldn't go back to Earth. The group split up, went to different worlds, but kept in contact with Earth through a Goa'uld communicator. The other group were found out, sent back to Earth and arrested. They said it was something to do with SG-1," the kid's eyes lit up. "Did you ever meet them? I heard stories about them, they sounded…cool. Wish I could have met them," he lost his enthusiasm slightly. "But then I wouldn't have ended up here, so it's probably as well the group I was with was never found."

"Why they take you?" Sheppard looked the kid over. "Hate to break it to you, but you don't look anything special."

The glare aimed his way was withering, but only made the Major smirk, much to the boy's annoyance.

"I'm a genius," he said smugly, raising his chin up haughtily. "I built a nuclear bomb for my science fair when I was eleven. A working model, but without the uranium. Of course, it caught the attention of several agencies, including your CIA, and NID as well, apparently. Thought I was some sort of pre-teen terrorist or something equally as stupid. Got me out into a school for 'gifted' children, which was far better than ordinary school."

"That sounds…enterprising," Elizabeth said cautiously, silently amused at the kid's attitude. "What did your parents think about it?"

"Not got any, not anymore. Died when I was nine in a car accident, along with my sister. I got shoved around the system, 'cause no one wanted me," he rolled his eyes. "My foster parents at the time soon handed me back after that little stunt. Heller, that's the guy in charge of the group I got stuck with, he found a machine off world that was supposed to make a person smarter than they already were. He wanted to try it out, but Maybourne said to wait. Then they grabbed me. Guess they wanted to try it out on a genius and make a super-genius, and being a kid, they figured they could keep control of me. Of course, being an unwanted orphan, no one would miss me much. Probably think I ran away or something."

"They used this machine on you?" Sumner asked.

"Yeah, but it shorted out. It didn't make me smarter than I already was, probably because it stopped working," Rodney paused, a haunted look passed though his eyes and he admitted quietly. "It hurt. A lot."

"And you were twelve when they did this?" Elizabeth felt sick at the thought.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I survived."

"What happened to Heller and his group? And you still haven't told us how you come to be here," Sumner reminded him somewhat impatiently.

Rodney looked at him sharply, and seemed to draw himself back together, starting on his explanation with a rapid-fire delivery that left them stunned, expressing himself with his hands at the same time.

"They found a ship, like the other ships here, and decided to use it to move some of their finds to another planet. So they filled it with things, including a naquadah generator they'd stolen from somewhere, and computer equipment, and some supplies, food and such like. Then half the group piled in, including Heller and me. Only something weird happened with the ship, and the next thing we know we're in the gateroom of this city. I worked out later that it had moved us in time and space. Only a few weeks forward in time, according to the program I found, but also into another galaxy. The city lit up for us, but we were underwater, and running out of power for the city's shield. Heller took Jacques with him to try and find a safe planet. They didn't come back," the kid paused, very briefly, before continuing.

"The city's shield failed before the others and I could get the gate dialled, but it rose to the surface before flooding, so everything was okay. We patched the naquadah generator in so as to power the control tower, and then Morrison went to find out what had happened to the others. He never came back either. So there was just Samuels, Levenson and me left here. After a week or so, we found an address in the database that was flagged as friendly, and we went through, all three of us, and met the natives, the Athosians. Of course, those two Neanderthals nearly messed things up," there was another brief pause, before returning to his tale.

"They went there pretending to trade for food, but Teyla, she's the Athosians' leader, she knew they weren't being truthful and so told them she wasn't interested in trading with them, and we left. But the ext day, Samuels and Levenson went back and somehow managed to grab Teyla and a kid called Jinto and brought them back here as hostages. Halling, he's Jinto's dad, and he leads whenever Teyla is off world, he sent through the food they demanded, but they said it wasn't enough. They wanted more. I tried to argue with them…" he paused, the haunted look returning to his eyes. "Usually, I get away with that. Arguing, so long as I do what they say in the end. But now and then, they…didn't like it and would…" he was shaking slightly, but trying hard to hide it from them. "Teyla had got free of the ropes binding her, and whilst they were…distracted…she attacked them. She had no choice but to kill them, or they would have killed Jinto and herself. I let them go back to Athos, of course. She let me keep the food that had been sent through," a brief smile crossed his face. "She even tried to get me to go with her, back to Athos. But I wanted, needed to stay here."

"What did they do to you, Rodney," Elizabeth asked gently, "When they didn't like you arguing with them?"

He kept his eyes down, wrapping his arms around himself again, but protectively this time. He didn't answer.

"Rodney, please. We only want to help you," she pushed carefully.

"They had…" he stopped, his eyes darting around the room before returning to the table top. "They had one of those Goa'uld torture sticks. Used it on me sometimes But it's okay," he looked her in the eyes, pushing the pain down. "It's okay, really. You kind of get used to it after a while, and it's not so bad then."

"Bloody hell," she heard Carson mutter, and knew he wasn't the only one shocked by Rodney's admission. Elizabeth didn't believe that anyone really got used to one of those things, despite what Rodney said. She could plainly see the lie on his face, but decided not to call him on it.

"No one should have to," she said to him instead.

"I don't want or need your pity," Rodney bit back, anger hiding his discomfort.

"No, I guess not," she moved on quickly. "So, the Athosians trade with you?"

"Well, not exactly. I mean, I offer them information if I find something in the database that might help them with their farming or whatever, but…" he shrugged. "It's more charity than trade. Teyla, she keeps asking me to join them on Athos. I don't think she likes the idea of me being alone here, but this is my home now," he looked thoughtful. "You know, I think she…likes me," he shrugged. "Don't know why. She's the first person to give a damn about me, I mean for me, not for what I can do for them…for…for probably as long as I can remember," his said this in such a matter of fact fashion, as though it was just a normal part of life that no one would care about him. And then he was off again, as another thought obviously struck him.

"You're not going to send me back to Earth, are you? This place is amazing and I want to stay," he stared at them, a mix of defiance and desperation on his face. "You need me to stay. I know more about this city than you do…Do you have one of those crystals that power this place? The ones here are out of power and I haven't found out how to recharge them yet…they work by generating power from the vacuum energy derived from a self contained region of subspace…it's really quite fascinating…"

"We call them Zero Point Modules," Radek informed him. "And yes, we know how they work, and it is most interesting."

"But we don't have one," Elizabeth added. "We were hoping to find one here, but at the same time knew this could be a one way journey. Though we're hopeful of finding a way home somehow."

"So, you won't be sending me back to Earth. That's good. Well, not about you being stuck here…but…I won't go back to Earth, even if there was a way to send me back. This is my home now…and I _won't_ leave it. Not like there's anything for me back there anyway, certainly not compared to this," he waved his hands to encompass the room and beyond.

"Well, it's a moot point at the moment anyway," Elizabeth said in her best diplomatic voice.

"Yes, well, so long as you know. If a way to return is found, I won't be going," he sat, glaring in defiance. Elizabeth found herself having to quash a smile at the image of a typical rebellious teenager before her, knowing there was more to him than that. She suspected he used his attitude to hide his fears and insecurities, and his pain; after all, he'd been physically abused, mentally as well. She just hoped they could gain his trust, and that he could be trusted in return.

"Okay, so we know where you stand on that," she said. "I'm sure we have more questions, but for now…I think Dr Beckett should give you a physical, and then maybe you could show Dr Zelenka some of your work here?"

"Don't need a physical," he muttered darkly, casting a hostile look Carson's way.

"I'm sorry, but every member of this expedition is required to have a regular physical. If you intend to stay here, then that applies to you as well," there was no room for argument in her voice.

"Fine," he said unhappily.

"Major Sheppard, you're his escort for now," Sumner ordered, turning to Elizabeth. "I think it would be prudent to keep at least one guard on him for the time being."

Elizabeth looked like she would argue, but then changed her mind.

"Alright, for the time being, just to be safe. I hope you understand our need for caution, Rodney."

"Sure," but his tone of voice showed his displeasure.

"Right, well, if you'll come this way, I'll take a quick look at you," Carson said, standing and indicating the way out of the room. Sheppard and Rodney both stood and followed him out to the makeshift infirmary a level down.

* * *

When they arrived at the infirmary, Carson asked Sheppard to step outside during his exam. Rodney looked a little freaked out, pulling away and watching Carson with wary eyes.

"Ach, lad, I'm not going to hurt you," Beckett said in his most reassuring voice. Rodney seemed to be weighing up whether or not to trust him. Carson maintained eye contact, trying to look as unthreatening as possible, which wasn't that hard a thing for him to do, and refrained from pushing the boy further, letting Rodney set the pace of things. A few moments passed, and Rodney looked away, before sighing and nodding.

"Okay."

Carson made sure the exam was quick and efficient, and was pleased to find that, other than needing to put on a few pounds, the kid was healthy and unharmed. He picked up a chart to make notations, and allowed Sheppard to return.

"Well, I'm glad to say everything looks okay, though I still need to see the results from the blood tests."

Rodney nodded, his legs swinging from side to side as he sat on the bed.

"Can I go now?"

"Do you have any medical conditions that you know of?" Carson asked first.

"Um…deathly allergic to citrus, and I reacted badly to a bee sting when I was a kid. And Jacques, she was a medical doctor, diagnosed me with hypoglycaemia. Though she couldn't find a reason for it." He scowled. "But then I don't think she was much of a doctor really. Her bedside manner certainly sucked, big time."

"Hmm, I'll have to do some tests later to confirm the hypoglycaemia, but it can wait. Just make sure you eat regularly in the meantime. Aye, you can go now."

Rodney slipped from the bed and quickly headed away from the makeshift infirmary, the Major following him closely.

* * *

"You hungry?" Sheppard asked.

"Hungry and tired," Rodney admitted in a brief moment of candour.

"Let's find some food, then."

It didn't take long for Sheppard to track down some food supplies, and armed with a couple of PowerBars and bottles of water, he let Rodney lead him out onto a nearby balcony.

"Cool," he said, awed by the view.

"It is nice, isn't it?" Rodney said, around a mouthful of PowerBar. "There's whales out there, well, not whales really. They're fish, not mammals. I see one quite often passing by, they're really quite interesting. I looked them up in the database. There's all sorts of things out there, in the water. And on the mainland. Just one continent, but it's huge," he flung his arms out wide at this, before tearing into the second PowerBar.

"Yeah. Where d'you get the t-shirt?"

"What?" the kid looked down at his shirt. "Oh, this. My foster parents at the time gave me some money to get some t-shirts with. They weren't too pleased when I came back with this, especially as it was too large for me back then. Still wore it though, even though it was too big. It's the only thing I have that's mine. Got a couple of plain shirts that Heller got for me before we ended up here. They still had a contact on Earth, you see, and someone at the SGC who smuggled things in and out. Including clothes for the brat, as they called me."

"Can't imagine why they'd call you that," Sheppard said with a smirk.

"Probably 'cause that's what I am," he said with a shrug, and then suddenly grinned. "Look! There's one of the whales…"

Sure enough, a whale like creature could be seen swimming along a few hundred metres from the balcony. They watched it in silence for a few minutes before it swam away. Sheppard was amazed at the transformation. The arrogant, defiant and desperately insecure teenager suddenly became an overexcited kid. It was nice to see.

"Sometimes, if you wait a minute or two, there'll be another one," Rodney said, watching the waves intently. "The Ancients called them Flagecallus, which is a terrible name if you ask me. I prefer whale, even if they are really big fish, not mammals."

"You spend a lot of time whale watching?"

"No, usually I'm too busy trying to get things working, or reading the database. But sometimes I just like to get outside and…yeah, watch any passing whales."

"Must get lonely. I know I'd get lonely here on my own, for…how long have you been here for, anyway?"

"About two months now. And I spend a few hours with Teyla and the Athosians now and then. It's not so bad. Quiet."

"You're a terrible liar," Sheppard said.

Rodney scowled at him, and the Major decided to change topics. Sure, the boy was lonely, he had no doubt of that, but if Rodney wanted to pretend otherwise, who was he to argue? Just so long as the kid knew he wasn't really fooling anyone.

"You said the city lit up for you when you got here."

"Yeah, that was…cool. There's some things here that the others couldn't get to work for them, at least, not until I'd got them to switch on. And there were other things that wouldn't work for them even then, like the ship that brought us here. That's gone, by the way. It sort of just…vanished. I think it had been pre-programmed to bring people here and then leave, or something. Wish I knew who'd programmed it and why."

"Yeah, that ship could have been useful. So, you have the Ancient gene, like I do."

"Is that what it is? A gene from the Ancients?"

"Apparently they interbred with humans, and so some of us have the gene, though most of us don't. You're one of the lucky few."

"It would have been a lot harder to survive here without it," Rodney sighed. "I'm supposed to show…Dr Zeloona…or whatever his name is, some of the things I've done here."

"It's Dr Zelenka," Sheppard corrected him. "And I'm sure he'll be glad for any information you can give him. Like why the shield didn't activate when you dialled in."

"Oh that's easy, I programmed it to recognise a signal I sent through and disable the shield. Didn't want to go splat by accident or anything."

"No, I can imagine not."

They headed to back to the control room, where Radek and Peter were waiting for them.


	2. Chapter Two: Trying To Fit The Misfit I

**Chapter Two – Trying To Fit The Misfit In**

Five days passed and the expedition was beginning to settle into Atlantis. They had five naquadah generators operating and powering more of the city. Labs and a permanent infirmary were being set up, along with crew quarters, a mess hall, an armoury, a firing range and a gym.

Dr Beckett had corralled a reluctant Rodney a couple of days earlier and confirmed the diagnosis of hypoglycaemia with tests, doing further tests to check for a cause. So far, all the results had come back negative, and Carson was of the opinion that Rodney's condition was one of those few percent whose cause was unknown to medical science.

Elizabeth had asked Colonel Sumner to call off the guard detail after three days, which he did against his better judgement. However, he ordered Major Sheppard to keep an eye on the kid, making sure he spent time with Rodney every day, and to report any suspicious behaviour immediately.

They had provided Rodney with clothing from their supplies, but although he was happy to wear the new shoes and the beige trousers that were part of the uniform worn by the civilians, he continued to wear his own ratty t-shirts, and when needed, a well-worn, faded and fraying denim jacket. He had also packed up the room he'd been using as his quarters when he'd discovered that he had neighbours, and found a room a few levels down, and far away from everyone else, to claim as his. Elizabeth was concerned that he was separating himself from them rather than integrating, as she had hoped he would.

Radek and Peter worked with Rodney, learning about the city, the database, and some of the devices that he had discovered over the two months he had been there, but it was an uneasy relationship at best. Radek complained to Elizabeth that Rodney was arrogant, condescending and sarcastic, though there was little doubt as to his high IQ. Most annoying to Radek was Rodney's insistence on working on his own projects whenever he wasn't helping them out, and being 'a law unto himself'.

Of course, Elizabeth merely pointed out that Rodney had been living here for two months, alone for most of that time, and so was used to doing pretty much what he wanted and when he wanted, though she also understood Radek's concerns. As Chief Science Officer, he was accountable for the work the science staff did, and although Rodney was not officially a member of the expedition, Radek was unable to do his job properly when he didn't know what Rodney was working on half the time. Elizabeth hoped that they might be able to work out a compromise in time, and encouraged Radek to try and work something out with Rodney himself, though she was ready to step in if necessary.

This had been the day before, but today Rodney had infuriated Radek to such an extent that he had banned the boy from the labs and the control room. Rodney had said he didn't have the right to do that, which had only made things worse, and eventually the argument had ended in Rodney storming off.

Sheppard had heard about the argument, and gone looking for Rodney, not surprised to find him on a balcony in a little used area of the city, sulking.

"Hey," he said, walking over to the boy, and leaning against the balcony railing.

"Go away."

"Nope," he said, receiving a 'death glare' in response. He smirked back.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" Rodney muttered darkly. "Oh, of course, I know why. Sumner ordered you to keep an eye on me, that's why."

"What?"

"Yeah, I know about that. Overheard two marines muttering how it was a lousy job but someone had to do it, and they were glad it was you and not one of them. You know, having to make nice with the horrid brat."

"Look, okay, I was ordered to keep an eye on you, but you know what? I'd be doing this anyway."

"Because you don't trust me?"

"No, because I think you need a friend," Sheppard said, before sighing. "Look, I'm not good at this, but…I like you, okay? Sure, you can be a pain in the neck, but you're basically a good person, and I want to make sure you're doing okay. It's got to be hard, handling this change. One moment being the only one living here, and the next having to share with a bunch of strangers. I figured you might need someone to talk to now and then."

"You think I'm…a good person?" he sounded incredulous.

"Yeah, I do. Had a tough life by the sounds of things, but you're an okay guy."

"What if you're wrong about me?"

Sheppard shrugged.

"Not saying it's not possible, but my gut feelings about people tend to be right, well, most of the time. Figure that I'm right about you anyway," he watched the kid closely, hoping that he was getting through Rodney's defences, connecting a little. He couldn't explain it, but he wanted to help the boy. Perhaps because he was so lost and alone. It reminded him of himself. Though, fortunately, his childhood hadn't involved any abuse, but he had moved about a lot, due to his father's military career, and was used to starting new schools and being the new boy. The lost and lonely feelings he'd had as a child had been replaced with a confident persona over time, the one who was friends with all the cool guys.

"Listen," Sheppard continued after a few moments of silence. "I know this must be hard for you, overwhelming even. And I know you don't have a lot of reasons to trust us, or anyone for that matter. But give us a chance. I know there are people here who want to help you, not to mention quite like you too. Elizabeth and Beckett for example. Even Dr Z, despite his complaints about you." He gave Rodney a quick grin at that, and was pleased to see a tentative grin in response. "Talking of Dr Z, maybe you could cut the guy some slack? He _is_ supposed to be in charge of the science division, and therefore responsible for any projects or experiments going on here. Going it alone isn't helping him to do his job."

"I'm not going to be told what I can or can't do," Rodney said petulantly.

"No, but surely the two of you can figure out some way of working together? I mean, you're both smart guys."

"Maybe."

"Just think about it, okay? And ignore those idiot marines that you overheard; you're not a horrid brat. They're just too stupid or shallow to understand you, that's all."

"I guess it's not their fault they're intellectually deficient. After all, not everyone can be even half as smart as me," Rodney said, his ego apparently kicking back in.

"That's the spirit," the Major grinned, slapping the kid on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "So, see you at dinner?" he asked, smiling when Rodney nodded, before heading off to a training session he was supposed to be giving in a few minutes time.

* * *

After Sheppard had left, Rodney went back to leaning on the railing, looking out to sea.

He was scared.

There was no way he was going to admit it out loud, but he was really, truly scared.

He didn't know these people, and couldn't risk trusting them too much. They seemed okay, seemed like good people, but what did he know? There had been precious few people in his life that were truly concerned about him, and not what he could do for them. Maybe Sheppard was right, and they just wanted to help him; that some of them actually liked him, despite his less than stellar behaviour and his bad attitude.

He just didn't know, though, and that scared him.

He couldn't get them to leave Atlantis. Well, he might be able to figure something out, but…one day, someone could come looking for them from Earth, and what would he do then, if he'd managed to send these people away? And what would happen to them if he did? Would the Wraith get them? He hadn't told them about the Wraith yet, was afraid they wouldn't believe him.

No, they were here, and they were staying. He had to accept that. So, if he found he couldn't live with them, he'd have to be the one to leave, and that scared him more than he could imagine. Atlantis might not be the safest place in this galaxy, if the Wraith came there was no shield to protect him, but the fact that no one had lived here for over ten thousand years meant it was unlikely the Wraith would ever come here. So it was relatively safe, and certainly safer than places like Athos.

He leaned his head down onto his hands. What was worse was that he liked Sheppard, and Elizabeth. Radek and Peter too. Even the doctor, Carson, seemed nice. He didn't want to like them, didn't want to care about them. It was too dangerous. Too…scary. What if they were lying, and only wanted him around for what he could do? What if they hated him really? What if they suddenly turned against him?

This was why he never stayed more than a few hours on Athos, and why he visited only as often as he had to. Well, that and not wanting to leave the city empty for too long. Teyla seemed to like him, despite what had happened with Samuels and Levenson; the whole hostage thing. The Athosians seemed to have accepted him, to some extent. But he couldn't, wouldn't let them too close, in case it all changed.

Though a part of him wished they would come and live here, so that they would be safe, well safer, from the Wraith. Because despite his attempts to distance himself, he did care what happened to them. Especially Teyla.

And now there were new people he felt himself starting to care about, and it scared him. He didn't know how to handle this, and was trying to distance himself. Not become a member of the expedition, not fully. Keep himself separate.

He sighed, and lifted his head back up, staring out over the ocean. He knew he needed to talk to Radek and find some compromise about his work. There was no way he was going to be bossed about; told what he could or couldn't work on, could or couldn't do. Maybe they could figure something out, though.

Tomorrow, he'd tell Elizabeth about the Wraith. They needed to know what was waiting for them out there.

And maybe, a few weeks or months from now, he'd tell them about his secret.

Well, maybe.

* * *

Tracking down Radek wasn't that hard. Rodney had gone down to the labs, being careful not to enter them but stand in the doorway, so that he couldn't be accused of defying Radek's ban, and had been told the Czech was in the control room.

Not wanting to irritate the guy more than he already had done that day, he stayed at the edge of the control area, and waited to be noticed. It was that English guy, Peter, who noticed him first, and he didn't look too happy to see him. Radek looked even less happy. He decided to beat a retreat for now, maybe try again later.

He didn't get far before Radek caught up with him, hustling him into a side room.

"What are you up to now?" Radek demanded. "I told you to stay away from control room."

"I know," he replied, not meeting the Czech's eyes. "I just…I just wanted to try and work things out…but…" he looked up then, arrogance emerging to hide his uncertainty. "But it doesn't matter. You obviously don't need me right now, so I'll just…go find something to do elsewhere. Away from you and your people." He turned to leave the room.

"Ah, Rodney, what am I to do with you?"

Rodney paused at the doorway, looking back in annoyance.

"Nothing," he said. "You don't need to so anything with me. In fact, maybe you should just leave me the hell alone. Maybe you all should. It's not like I'm a member of this expedition or anything. Not like I want to be, so you can just all leave me the hell alone."

"Is that what you want?" Radek asked, forcing himself to keep calm.

"Does it matter?"

"It does. You may not be part of us, at least not yet, but you have to work with us. That means with me as well."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"No, perhaps that is asking too much of you," Radek looked thoughtful. "A compromise; you continue to work on what you wish, _but_ you tell me what you are working on and keep me up to date on it. Also, if I need you to work on something that is urgent or vital to our survival, you will do so, and work on your own projects at another time."

Rodney thought about what he was being offered, and then nodded.

"Okay. That sounds…doable."

"Good. I know this must be hard for you to adjust to; having people here. You have been able to do as you wish. Be responsible only for yourself. This has to change."

"It'd be easier if people didn't treat me like a kid," Rodney complained. "I'm not, not anymore. I had to grow up, take responsibility for myself and my actions, but people here still treat me like I'm some stupid kid who doesn't know what life is like, or doesn't know what dangers lie in a place like this. Well, I'm _not_ a normal teenager. I'm a genius for a start, and I've been through and seen more crap than most people go through or see in their entire lives!"

"Perhaps, but you are still only sixteen. And we are responsible for you now. However, I will try to treat you like adult. Though I am not guaranteeing I will not forget at times."

"Fine. Just don't be surprised if I pull you up on it whenever you treat me like a kid."

"I am sure I will not be," Radek said with a shake of his head and a wry smile. "You are most headstrong and stubborn person, I have no doubt you will make your displeasure known."

"Right. So…can I go back to the labs now?"

"Help Peter and myself with long range scanners, and then you can show me what you are working on, yes?" Radek suggested.

"Fine."

* * *

Although he had intended to tell Elizabeth and Colonel Sumner about the Wraith the following day, he didn't. Fear of not being believed, especially as there was no evidence in the Ancient database to back him up, (and how weird was that, that there was no data on their greatest enemy?), had made him decide to wait. He knew he would have to say something, preferably before they started going through the gate to explore this galaxy, but right now, he really didn't think they'd believe either him or his source for the information; the Athosians.

Three days passed, and he found himself starting to integrate with these people, even though he didn't want to. Well, wanted to, but was afraid to. But Radek and he had worked out their problems, and were working together as best as he could hope to ever work with someone else. Sheppard was spending more time with him, and he found himself liking the guy. Relaxing around him, even.

He'd given in to wearing the uniform shirts now, but still refused to wear the jacket, preferring his own disreputable one. He was still nervous of most of the people here, and knew that some of them viewed him with suspicion, especially Colonel Sumner and that Bates person, but he didn't care about that. Or at least, he wasn't going to let it bother him. He was used to not being liked, or trusted, and he supposed he couldn't really blame them for being cautious, no matter how much he wanted to.

Now, he was back in the control room, not really doing anything, just people watching from the sidelines. He'd found a place where he could stand and watch without drawing a great deal of attention, though he knew the people working there were perfectly aware of him. However, they tended to ignore him and even forget he was there after a while, well, most of them. Grodin never did, but that was okay. He'd figured the Brit was an okay guy, even if he didn't seem to like Rodney much. No, it was the others he was unsure of.

No one ever picked him up for it, whenever he found a place to people watch. He had a feeling Elizabeth had told them to leave him be. Maybe she realised that gaining his trust wasn't going to be easy, and she was willing to let him do whatever he needed to, to work this out for himself.

So he was well placed when a ship was picked up on the short range sensors, heading for Atlantis and coming in from the sun, which was why it had not been picked up sooner. It landed on the North Pier a few minutes later.

Rodney had immediately used the sensors to identify the ship as a Wraith dart, and had started shunting power down to where it landed.

"Rodney, what are you doing?" Elizabeth asked, arriving moments before Sumner and Sheppard.

"Routing power to that section," he said distractedly, concentrating on his work. "It's a Wraith dart, which is bad. Very bad. But fortunately, I set up a few booby traps around Atlantis in case of attack. I just need to power them up."

"What the hell are Wraith, and why are we only finding out about them now?" demanded Sumner angrily.

"They're the bad guys in this galaxy, and I didn't think you'd believe me about them. In fact, I hardly believe it myself, but I know the Athosians weren't lying to me, or that it was just some sort of mythical monster," he snapped back. "They feed on humans. Rip your life force out of you, leaving an aged and withered husk behind. And they're damned hard to kill, being able to regenerate faster than any Goa'uld symbiote! Damn it!" he stopped typing, a look of panic on his face. "They're avoiding the traps."

"Major Sheppard, gather a team and meet me in the armoury," Sumner ordered. Sheppard immediately went out, calling on his radio for four marines to join him at the armoury.

"Maybe we could talk to them…" Elizabeth suggested.

"As far as the Wraith are concerned, we're food, nothing else," Rodney said. "You try to talk to them, and they'll kill you and everyone here."

"Okay." She turned to Sumner. "Go."

Rodney moved to follow, but Elizabeth grabbed his arm.

"No, stay here. Let them handle this."

He pulled away from her.

"They don't know what they're up against. Teyla's told me about them, I can help," he said, running out before she could stop him again.

"Rodney!"

She activated her comm and warned Sumner that Rodney was heading out to the North Pier. He swore, apologised for swearing, and agreed to keep an eye out for him, and try to keep him safe.

When this was over, supposing he survived, she'd have to have a long talk with Rodney. Not only about risking his life, but also about holding back on important information, regardless of whether he thought they'd believe him or not. Though mainly she was just hoping that he, and the security team, survived. She'd deal with his recklessness later.

* * *

Rodney had arrived outside the area being used as an armoury, but waited until Sumner, Sheppard and team had left before overriding the lock and slipping inside. Okay, so he'd never actually fired a projectile weapon before, but he'd watched Heller and the others when they practised, and knew where the safety was and how to engage and disengage it. Picking up a P90, he checked to see if it was loaded, and finding it wasn't, quickly rifled through the clips until he found one that fitted. He grabbed another couple of them, and made his way down to the North Pier.

* * *

Three Wraith, at least what they assumed were Wraith, and a human rounded a corner and ran straight into Sumner, Sheppard and their team of four marines. All hell broke loose.

Shots were fired repeatedly, but the enemy wouldn't die. Instead, one of the Wraith, with a humanoid face, grabbed the human that had been with them…put its hand on the man's chest and…the man aged before their eyes, screaming.

More shots, but the second Wraith, one with what looked like a bone mask instead of a face, grabbed Sumner, pinning him down and starting to feed. The third grabbed one of the marines, attempting to do the same, whilst firing at the remaining humans. Another marine fell, having been shot.

Sheppard and the two remaining marines fell back, taking cover in a doorway, returning fire.

One of the bone-faced Wraith fell under the barrage and didn't get back up, but during the exchange of fire, another marine was hit, leaving just Sheppard and one marine.

There was more gunfire, each group attempting to find cover, but as the second bone-faced Wraith tried to change its position, it was hit by multiple rounds.

The third Wraith, the one with a humanoid face, was not so easy to hit, but the last marine was not so lucky and fell. Sheppard was alone, and this Wraith wasn't about to make itself a target.

It didn't look hopeful.

* * *

Hearing gunfire and checking the life signs detector, Rodney figured out where the battle was taking place, and circled round. Coming up from behind the fight might be dangerous, but hopefully he'd be able to take the Wraith by surprise. Watching life signs disappear, he hurried, afraid for Sheppard…and the others.

He slowed when he realised the life signs were around the corner, and took a quick peek, noticing that there was one Wraith hiding in a doorway, on the opposite side of the corridor. Which meant he had it in his sights.

Taking a deep breath, he aimed the P90 and opened fire, shocked by the recoil of the weapon, and missing abysmally with every shot. However, it distracted the Wraith, which turned to face the new threat, and offered Sheppard an opportunity to take it down with a hail of bullets.

An opportunity that he took. The Wraith fell, and didn't get back up.

Sheppard moved in quickly, checking that the Wraith were dead, and checking on those that had fallen. Three of the marines were alive but unconscious, presumably stunned. Colonel Sumner and the other marine that had been fed on were dead. He grimaced as he looked at the husks left behind.

The man who had been with the Wraith was still alive. Just. Aged to the point of death, but still living. Rodney had been silent during all of this, but now he approached Sheppard nervously.

"You okay?" Sheppard asked.

Rodney shrugged, but didn't answer.

"Rod…ney," the man stirred, opening pain filled eyes. "It's me…Morrison."

Rodney dropped to his knees by the man, looking surprised, and then sickened by the sight of the aged and clearly dying man.

"Morrison? I thought…I thought you were dead."

"No. Wraith caught us," Morrison hissed in pain, before continuing. "Tortured us… fed on Jacques…then Heller…we couldn't stop them…read our thoughts…"

"They know about Atlantis?" Rodney asked, and then snorted at himself and added dryly. "Well, obviously they do."

"They are awakening…all of them…they want Earth." Morrison's eyes closed. "They know Atlantis will lead them to Earth…a new, rich feeding ground…"

"Oh crap," Sheppard murmured.

"Sent a dart…I was to show them…information in database…how to find Earth… how to upgrade their hyperdrives…to intergalactic… They came from a stargate… weeks from here…heading in from behind…the sun… But they know there are more…more people here than expected…sent message back to hiveship… If this failed…they said they would regroup…wait until their numbers are stronger…then come."

"This is bad," Rodney said, panic edging his voice. "Really, really bad."

"Sorry…everything we did…was to save Earth…not endanger it… I don't know who…these people are…but you have to stop them…stop Wraith from reaching Earth… You're Earth's best hope…you'll work something out…I have…faith in that." Morrison's breathing hitched and then stopped.

"We'll stop them," Rodney said quietly.

Sheppard nodded, and radioed for a med team with a military escort to come down. Rodney stood, looking around at the bodies of the dead and stunned, an unreadable look on his face. Then he turned and ran.

"Rodney…" Sheppard shouted, following after him for a few metres, but he couldn't leave the scene, just in case the Wraith weren't as dead as they seemed. He radioed Elizabeth to let her know the situation, and ordered the military escort and med team to keep an eye out for the kid.

Then he stood guard and waited.


	3. Chapter Three: The Misfit Starts To Fit

**Chapter Three – The Misfit Starts To Fit In**

Three hours later, and the marines had recovered from being stunned and released back to their quarters, and autopsies were being carried out on the Wraith and their victims.

Elizabeth had called a meeting. Sheppard, Ford, Bates, Zelenka, Grodin and Beckett were present for it. Rodney was still missing.

Major Sheppard gave a debriefing on the events in the North Pier, and Beckett confirmed that the Wraith were able to regenerate their tissues, and that they appeared to be very old. He believed that they were unlikely to die of old age, so long as they were properly nourished, and, as Major Sheppard had said, they would be very difficult to kill, but not impossibly so.

Radek briefed them on the battle readiness, or lack of battle readiness more like, of Atlantis. Basically, the city needed at least one ZPM, which would give them the shield and, hopefully, the control chair as well. Though until they gained a ZPM he couldn't guarantee that one would be enough to power both of them, nor was he able to tell how many, if any, drones they had at their disposal. Without a ZPM, they were sitting ducks; with one, they stood a chance.

Elizabeth asked him to put in place a self-destruct. They needed to be able to destroy Atlantis and the information it held in a worst case scenario.

She then asked Grodin if he would be in charge of looking for addresses within the database that might lead to Ancient facilities; outposts for example. This was their best chance of finding a ZPM, and possibly other artefacts that could be useful to defend themselves.

They needed to organise gate teams, which she would leave to Major Sheppard to do. Some teams would primarily be used to search the city, others to go in as second contact teams were friendly locals were found, and one or two would be first contact teams, and would also deal with gathering Intel. They needed allies in this galaxy, not least because their food supplies were limited. At present, they were okay for food, but the sooner they established trade, the longer their rations would last.

At this point Elizabeth received a message over her radio that Rodney had been sighted near to the control room, and she asked that he be directed to the meeting room by whoever was closest to him.

There were sighs of relief from many present that he was back, apparently unharmed.

When Rodney entered the room, he looked…nervous and unsure. Though he quickly hid this, trying to look in control. He was also wearing a full Atlantis uniform, jacket with patches included. He ducked his head in embarrassment when he spotted the look of surprise on her face, which she quickly hid.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," Elizabeth said with a tone of censor in her voice at him for running off on his own.

"Yeah." He took the seat nearest the exit. "Sorry I ran off…I just needed some time."

"You had us worried."

"Not used to people worrying about me much," he admitted, before stealing himself. "Look, I…ah…the Wraith are coming, and, well, we need to work together if we hope to defeat them, or at least stop them from reaching Earth. So, I need to…" He looked up at Elizabeth, fear and uncertainty warring in his eyes. "I need to trust you. And I need to become part of the expedition. I mean, fully part of it. No holding back. But I should warn you, I'm not good at following orders." He gave a nervous laugh. "Heller and the others couldn't get me to follow orders a lot of the time, at least not without a lot of arguing beforehand. And you know how they handled disobedience." He looked away, nervously clasping his hands together on the table. "I know you wouldn't hurt me like that. What I'm trying to say is that I will _try _to…to follow your orders. Try not to go off on my own, but work as part of a…a team."

"Thank you." Elizabeth smiled at his surprised glance at her reaction. "I know this is hard for you, Rodney. I appreciate that you want to try and be a part of us, a team player."

"It would help if you didn't keep thinking of me as a kid. I mean, I know I'm sixteen, but please, I'm not a normal teenager, and I don't need to be treated like one. I've been in dangerous situations before, lots of times thanks to Heller and his team. I've even saved their butts with last minute repairs, or working out how something works. So don't think of me as just a kid. I grew up a long time ago. I had to, to survive."

Elizabeth realised that she really didn't know what kind of life he had lived the last four years or so. Hadn't really thought about what he might have been through, how it might have changed him. She knew full well about child soldiers on Earth, and how they had to grow up quickly. Suddenly, she knew he was more like one of them than a normal teenager, and treating him like a kid wouldn't help.

"Okay," she sighed, and then said with a slight tease. "We'll _try_ to treat you like an adult."

A small smile crossed his face at her throwing his own line back at him, before he turned serious once more, returning his attention to his hands.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the Wraith. I really didn't think that you'd believe me, or at the very least, wouldn't have believed the Athosians who'd told me about them. I mean, they sound like some kind of fictional monster, don't they? A native myth. I know I didn't believe them at first. But I was wrong, and I should have told you anyway. Maybe then you'd know what you were up against when they came here. Maybe Sumner and that marine wouldn't be dead…"

"You can't think like that," Sheppard interrupted him. "Even if we had known, I doubt we'd have done anything differently, and they would still have died."

"But if you'd known how hard they were to kill…"

"Stop it, McKay," he ordered. "You're not to blame for their deaths."

Rodney didn't look entirely convinced, but didn't argue further.

"Rodney, no one here is blaming you," Elizabeth soothed. "And Major Sheppard is right, what happened would most likely still have happened."

"I…" he stopped, looking at her, and then to Sheppard. "Okay, maybe. But I'm not going to hold anything back anymore. I want you to know that."

"That's good to know," she said with a smile.

"We need to find a Zero Point Module," he said, changing topic.

"We know. Major Sheppard is going to organise gate teams, and then we'll start looking for Ancient technology, specifically a ZPM, as well as organise trade for food. I'm hoping the Athosians would be willing to help us with the latter."

"I'm sure Teyla will, once she knows you're okay. And you need me on one of your teams. I know more about Ancient technology than anyone here, so you need me out there."

"I don't think that would be such a good idea," Sheppard started.

"You need me out there," Rodney said stubbornly. "You know you're going to need a scientist on whichever team goes ZedPM hunting. In fact, you should have one anyway, like SG-1. I've heard stories about how Carter pulled their asses out of the fire on more than one occasion. Okay, she was military, and all the scientists here are civilian, but you still need someone. And that someone should be me. No one here knows as much as I do about Ancient tech."

"Okay, granted, we need a scientist. But not you," Sheppard said firmly.

"Why? Because I'm a kid? Didn't we just have this conversation? I've already been in more dangerous situations than any of your non-SGC scientists here. And with what the machine did to me…" he trailed off, a worried look passing over his face.

"Hold on, what machine? I thought you said the one they used on you didn't work," Elizabeth said.

Rodney crossed his arms over his chest defensively, looking frightened and trapped.

"You said you wouldn't hold back information from us," Sheppard cajoled.

"I…was going to tell you." He looked at Bates sharply, who had snorted derisively. "I _was_. I just… This isn't easy for me."

Both John and Elizabeth shot annoyed looks at Bates, and Rodney took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"The machine didn't work like they thought it would, but it did do something to me before it…sort of shorted out. You see, I've always had a reasonably photographic memory, but after the machine…it was different. I have total and perfect recall on anything I read, or any static picture or diagram that I see. Moving pictures, you know, like real life for instance, is the normal recall you'd expect anyone to have, but static pictures or anything I read…I never forget. Never. When I'm studying a new piece of technology, I make diagrams and take photos as I work, and then I never forget what it looks like, how it works."

"That explains much," Radek said quietly.

"Yes. I'm naturally a genius, high IQ and all that, but add this enhanced photographic memory, and…well, it doesn't make me smarter in the conventional sense, but it certainly makes me better."

"Any idea how this happened?" Carson asked, clearly fascinated by the concept.

"Not entirely. I know it's partly a physical alteration of my mind. But there's another element involved in it." He licked his lips nervously. "I don't have the ATA gene. I tried to activate the machine but it didn't respond to me. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, one of the group had the gene. Michaels, he died a couple of months later. Anyway, he activated the machine that changed me, and I couldn't. But afterwards, I could activate Ancient devices."

"It gave you an artificial gene, like the gene therapy I'm working on, perhaps?"

"No. Not a gene. Nanites."

"Nanites?" Elizabeth asked.

"Microscopic machines or robots, in this case about the size of a single blood cell," Rodney explained. "They are keyed directly into my DNA, so they won't work for anyone else. And they become inactive and start to decay once they leave my body, after about four or five minutes. They're harmless."

"Fascinating," Radek said, intrigued.

"Yeah, well, you and Carson can fight over how fascinating my nanites and I am later," he said, scowling.

"Sounds creepy to me, tiny robots running round in your blood." Ford shivered at the thought.

"I've had four years to get used to it, but I'll admit, the thought freaked me out at first," Rodney agreed. "But you see why you need me out there. I know more, remember more, not just about what I've read or seen since this happened to me, but out there, I can do the same. I'd be like a…a laptop. Storing up information, images." He turned determined eyes to Elizabeth. "If I was older, would you have such a problem with this? Because you said you'd try not to hold my age against me, try not to treat me like a kid."

Elizabeth knew he was right. She didn't like the idea of sending anyone out into potentially dangerous situations, but her hesitation with Rodney was largely to do with how young he was.

"Okay," she sighed. "Major, what do you think?"

"I think we need him on a gate team, as much as I don't like the idea," Sheppard answered her. "I'll take him onto my team. I don't want to offload the responsibility to anyone else." He smiled at Rodney's huff of annoyance at his terminology. "Mine will be a first contact team, and like SG-1, I will need the best. McKay is the best," he said, looking Rodney in the eyes. "But there are conditions. I'm in charge when off world."

"Understood." Rodney nodded. "Though I can't guarantee I won't argue or complain, when we're not in a life or death situation, of course."

Sheppard shook his head.

"Of course," he added dryly. "I'll need to train you, teach you how to shoot for a start. I have to say I was impressed."

Rodney looked pleased at that, until John continued.

"Not a single bullet hit the intended target, and you were, what, five metres away at most? Very impressive." John smirked.

"I underestimated the recoil, that's all," Rodney exclaimed. "I've fired a Zat before and hit the target!"

"Yeah, but let me guess, on your…twentieth attempt?"

"No, my fourth…" he stopped, seeing the triumphant smile on Sheppard's face, and he scowled again, having fallen into the Major's trap of admitting to his less than perfect aim. "Fine, but I _did_ hit the target," he grumbled.

"Okay, we know what our assignments are. I think your team's first mission should be to Athos, to see if they would be willing to trade with us," Elizabeth interrupted their banter.

"Teyla could probably tell you more about the Wraith as well. Her people have lived with their cullings for centuries."

"Good. I'm looking forward to meeting her."

The meeting ended, and Major Sheppard asked McKay to come with him to the firing range, to show him how to use a 9mm. Rodney argued that he should learn how to use a P90, but John merely told him 'one step at a time', and insisted on starting out with the handgun.

* * *

Two days passed, and Rodney was trying to integrate with the expedition, though he still had a tendency to withdraw from everyone and go off on his own. At least now he told them where he would be, and stayed within areas that had been explored and labelled as safe.

Major Sheppard was still finalising who would be on his team. Rodney, of course, and Lieutenant Ford. But he hadn't made a decision on the fourth member as yet. Their first mission was scheduled two days from then, so he needed to make a decision quickly, and he was beginning to think he should just choose one of the Sergeants, but not Bates as he didn't like Rodney, and see how things went out in the field. He could always change the composition of his team until he found a set of people that had the right team dynamic.

The first mission was supposed to be to Athos, but that changed when the gate was activated from off world.

"Rodney, this is Teyla Emmagen. The Wraith are here."

Fortunately Rodney had been in Elizabeth's office with Radek, discussing their latest discovery. They had left the office when the alarms had sounded, and he now opened a channel to Teyla.

"Teyla, this is Rodney."

"Rodney, the Wraith, they have taken many more than normal. All that are left are with me. Please, lower the shield."

Rodney shot an agonised look to Elizabeth, who nodded, much to his relief.

"The shield is down," he told Teyla after the gate tech had shut it off. "Come on through."

He rushed down to the area in front of the gate to wait, Elizabeth and Sheppard by his side.

As the first Athosians came through, they looked frightened and wary of the people waiting for them. Elizabeth told the security team to stand down, not wanting to frighten these potential allies more than they already were.

Several more groups came through, about two hundred people at most. In the last group that came through a woman came forward, warily eyeing the strangers. The gate shut down behind them.

"Teyla." Rodney rushed to meet the woman, who smiled.

"Rodney. You are well?" she asked, glancing round the gate room, and raising an eyebrow in query.

"Yes, I'm fine. Is this all?" he asked, shocked at how few had come through.

"It would seem so," Teyla said sadly. "They took many hundreds this time. I have never heard of such a number being taken before. You have new friends, I see."

"Yes, yes, this is Elizabeth…Dr Elizabeth Weir, and this is Major John Sheppard. They came here when I was last with you on Athos, but it's okay. They're from Earth, but they're not like the others I was with. These people are okay," he reassured her.

"Hello," Elizabeth said, approaching the Athosian leader. "You are welcome to stay here, though I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Thank you. I am Teyla Emmagen, daughter of Tughan."

"Major, is there somewhere that the Athosians could rest?"

"We have opened up another level of accommodations, it might be a bit cosy, but it would do in the short term."

"Are we to be your prisoners?" Teyla asked, looking pointedly at the military in the room.

"No, no, that's the last thing I want," Elizabeth was quick to reassure her. "Please, after what Rodney has told us about you, we would like to be friends, allies. But this place is…large and we're still exploring areas that could be used for living space. We don't want people wandering outside of these areas unescorted, as we don't know what dangers lie out there."

Telya nodded her understanding.

"Very well. I will go with my people to see them settled in. Then I believe we need to talk, to discuss my people's future."

"I'll come with you," Rodney said. "Tell you about what's been happening here."

Elizabeth watched as the Athosians were guided out, with Rodney talking to Teyla as they left.

"She said the Wraith had never taken so many before," Sheppard said quietly to Elizabeth. "Could it be due to them awakening? Rodney has told us that they sleep between cullings, leaving only a few awake during this time. Morrison said that they were all awakening, and if that is the case…"

"Then they will need more food than normal, hence the larger culling." Elizabeth looked troubled.

"Yeah. Not looking forward to explaining that, even if we're not to blame for it ourselves."

* * *

The Athosians were settled, and an alliance formed between them and the expedition. Information on the Wraith and on potential trading partners was shared, along with the fact that the Wraith had awakened early and in larger numbers due to Heller, Jacques and Morrison.

After a week, during which a black energy beast had been released by accident, but fortunately persuaded to leave, and Rodney had learned the dangers of using a personal shield when you were nervous, but had ultimately proved himself a hero by pulling a Hail Mary, Teyla approached Elizabeth to say that her people wanted to move to the mainland.

As she pointed out, her people were hunters and farmers, and they found the city to be overwhelming. Also, it would be beneficial to the expedition to have a source of food so close by, once they had enough to share. Elizabeth agreed to let them access the gate for trading purposes, and offered aid whenever needed, be it medical or other.

Telya herself, and four other Athosians, agreed to stay on Atlantis to help them with their fight against the Wraith, and to act as native guides.

The last of the Athosians were ready to board a jumper and go to the mainland, and Teyla was saying her farewells. This included a gesture; hands on each others' shoulders and a touching of foreheads. Rodney referred to it as a sort of hug, though it was also used in less hug-like ways as well. It was rarely offered to those outside of friends or family, though occasionally it was used to cement new partnerships or alliances.

Elizabeth was waiting with him as Teyla said her goodbyes, and could see the wistful look in his eyes when he talked about the gesture, though it was quickly hidden. It saddened her to think that he probably hadn't been hugged for many years, and now felt himself to be above that sort of thing. Or possibly felt himself unworthy. She knew she wasn't the only one to notice how he liked his personal space, though John had breached it several times with friendly shoulder slaps, or leaning over Rodney's shoulder to see what he was working on. Rodney seemed to tolerate these breaches, and perhaps even like them, though he would never admit to that, she was sure.

Once the Athosians were safely on there way, Teyla walked over to them, taking Elizabeth's shoulders and inclining her head. Taken by surprise, Elizabeth nevertheless responded, knowing how important this was.

"I and my people thank you, Dr Weir," Teyla said, pulling away. "I hope that this will be a beneficial partnership for all involved."

"Thank you. I'm sure it will be," Elizabeth responded.

Teyla smiled, and then turned to Rodney, placing her hands on his shoulders and inclining her head again. He, in turn, looked stunned, and awkwardly placed his on hands on her shoulder and returned the gesture, very much flustered.

"I and my people thank you too for all you have done for us," Teyla intoned solemnly, before moving back.

"But…I haven't really done anything," he stammered in denial.

"You spoke highly of us to Dr Weir, and saved us from the energy beast."

"Oh, well."

It was amusing to see him almost speechless, but Elizabeth was sure he had been touched by Teyla's gesture and words, and she was grateful to the Athosian leader for doing this.

"Major Sheppard has asked me to join his team. I must find him to give him my answer," Teyla said with a gracious smile, turning to leave.

"Um, what is you answer?" Rodney asked.

She turned to look back at them.

"I believe I should tell him first," she said with another smile, leaving.

* * *

Two more days passed, and Major Sheppard and his team of Ford, Teyla and McKay, were about to go on their first mission through the gate. It was to be a nice, easy mission to start off with, to broker trade with a group of people the Athosians had been trading with for many, many years. Simple and straightforward.

Teyla believed the Genii would be happy to trade with any who she called friends. As Sheppard said, they'd be home for dinner, no problems.

Not Quite The End (!)

_Author's Notes:_

_1) The t-shirt quote 'I have nothing to declare except my genius' is by Oscar Wilde._

_2) The rogue NID under Maybourne gained access to the second stargate on Earth for a while, but lost access to it in 'Touchstone', Season 2. Jack O'Neill, working with the Asgard and Tollens, shut down a group of NID off world in 'Shades of Grey', Season 3. I have made these events later in time (i.e. 2000 for the first ep and 2001 for the second, not 1998 And 1999 respectively), so that Rodney is kidnapped when he is 12 and on Atlantis 4 years later aged 16._

_3) The bit were teen Rodney explains how a ZPM works comes from the transcript for 'Rising', as if you hadn't already guessed that. Just altered the wording very, very slightly. From "it generates it's power from vacuum energy derived from a self contained region of subspace time." ('Rising') – to "they work by generating power from the vacuum energy derived from a self contained region of subspace." (my story)_

_4) The Ancient name for whale, and the fact it is a big fish not a mammal, comes from 'Echoes'._

_5) The bit where Carson reports on the Wraith autopsy is heavily based on what he says to Elizabeth in 'Rising' when he studies the Wraith arm brought back from Athos._

_6) Season One – well, 'Suspicion', 'Home' and 'Before I Sleep' have been wiped out from my universe. Other episodes could follow the same plots, broadly speaking. However, there would be differences due to Radek and Rodney's positions being reversed, Rodney having no family or friends on Earth, and Rodney being sixteen (eg, Allina in The Brotherhood wouldn't have a crush on a teenager, unless she was a teenager herself!). Anyway, I'll leave these up to your own imagination to work out._

_7) Oh, and yes, the Genii are the double-crossing bad guys that we all know and love!_


	4. Gifted Castaway: Addendum

**Gifted Castaway: Addendum**

_A/N – Set after 'Siege'. In my universe 'Letters from Pegasus' up to and including 'Siege, Part Three' are mainly the same as in canon, just with Radek being in charge and Rodney as second in command. Main differences, Radek develops the compression code, but Rodney improves on it. Rodney doesn't send a message back to Earth. He still goes to the Lagrange Weapons Base with Grodin, and takes the space walk and all that follows that. Everett views him with suspicion at first, but soon realises his usefulness. Some dialogue would have to be different as well to fit into my universe, but I leave that up to your imagination. Ford still goes weird on the enzyme and leaves._

_After 'Siege, Part Three', Elizabeth, John, Carson, Radek and Rodney return to Earth for debriefings and etc._

* * *

**One: Elizabeth's POV **

**Daedalus, five days out from Earth**

Returning to Earth had been…interesting. Not to mention devastating. She hadn't expected Simon to have moved on, and yet she knew she should have considered that possibility. After all, she had told him to do so in her message that she'd sent back just prior to the siege, though she had a feeling he had already done so by the time he received that.

She had made two mistakes; she had assumed things were the same between them, and she had taken his love and the fact that he would wait for her for granted. Two very bad mistakes. And he had led her on, let her think things were fine, until he'd had no choice but to admit to the truth. She hadn't deserved that from him, and yet had she given him a chance to tell her? He had broken her heart, but had she broken his first?

It still didn't excuse the way he'd handled things, but as much as she hated what he had done, she hated herself for leaving him like she had. But she didn't regret it. She would never regret going to Atlantis, and if this was the price she had to pay, then as painful as it was, she was willing to pay it.

Perhaps she hadn't loved Simon as much as she'd thought. It was obvious he hadn't loved her as much as she had hoped.

Now, it was time to move on. Try to bury the pain.

No matter how hard.

She sighed, knowing that sleep wouldn't be coming any time soon, and left the small room on the vast ship that was assigned to her, and wandered the decks, not heading in any particular direction.

There were some good things to come out of the trip home. She had discovered that Atlantis was her home every bit as much as Earth. And she had faced down the Generals and powers that be, that wanted to wrest the military command from John, and wanted to keep Rodney on Earth. She had stood firm, and now John was a Lieutenant Colonel, and still her Chief Military Officer, and Rodney was returning with them, now officially a part of the expedition, with pay, and back pay as well. The look on his face when he'd seen how much back pay he had, and later when he'd seen his wage, had been priceless.

She had been uncertain whether bringing Rodney back to Earth would be a good idea or not, but the IOA wanted to meet him, and she hadn't really been given much choice. When they first arrived, she had been worried that she had made a terrible mistake. Rodney had retreated into himself. As wary, uncertain and scared as he'd been when he'd first met them, he'd never been like this. Even at his most insecure with them, he'd still been abrasive, arrogant and talkative, but on Earth, he became withdrawn and far, far too quiet.

It had been six weeks of debriefings, meetings, interviewing for new staff, visiting grieving relatives of some that they had lost, and dealing with bureaucracy. The last week was spent preparing to return to Atlantis, purchasing items that she had missed and could fit into her luggage, and relaxing, or trying to. And being relieved that after a week's vacation with John, Rodney had returned to himself. Helped in no small part by the fact he wasn't being forced to remain on Earth.

She realised she was outside the rec room, and entered it, expecting it to be deserted at this time of night. Even in space, a day and night schedule was kept to, and although there were people on night shifts throughout the ship, the rec room tended to be empty at this hour.

Only it wasn't. Sitting at a table was Rodney, deeply engrossed in a book. She smiled at the sight, and shook her head. Most likely a physics book, probably on some esoteric concept that she couldn't hope to understand.

She grabbed a bottle of water from the 'bar' that had been set up on one side of the room, a non-alcoholic bar, of course, and sat opposite him. It took him a few moments to come up for air and realise he wasn't alone, and it made her smile. She truly believed that when he was engrossed in something, the whole universe could implode around him and he wouldn't notice.

Okay, that might be a little unfair, she thought to herself.

"Hey," he said, putting the book down. "You're up late."

"I could say the same to you," she pointed out.

"Huh, yeah."

"Good book?" she asked, taking a guess at why he was still up.

"Hmm. Oh, yes, very good book." He looked a little bit embarrassed, but then shrugged and grinned, showing her the cover. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah, I… ah…I always wanted to read it when I was a kid, but never got the chance. Don't normally read fiction, prefer to watch films and the like instead. Doesn't clutter up my brain so much that way."

"No, I guess not. But you made an exception for that. Good choice."

"Yes, well…Sheppard seems to think I'm Gandalf, but I think I'd prefer to be…" he stopped, obviously embarrassed again.

"Let me guess," she said with a soft smile. "Not Frodo, perhaps Samwise?"

He coloured slightly, and she knew she'd hit the mark. And she understood. Samwise was loyal to his friend, Frodo, and brave despite his fear. Just like Rodney was loyal to them, and brave even whilst seeming to panic.

"Um, maybe…" he stuttered out.

"So what else have you smuggled in with your luggage?"

"Oh, loads of DVDs, CDs, an i-Pod, a really, really cool digital camera…and a holdall full of speciality coffee and all my favourite candy," he said, grinning triumphantly over the last item. "And if people are really, really nice to me, I might consider sharing the candy. Well, possibly. Maybe."

"But not the coffee?" she teased.

"Of course not," he said in mock outrage at the thought, and then he grinned again. "Oh, and you're gonna love one of my new t-shirts. It says 'I'm with genius' on it, and has an arrow pointing up to me."

She laughed, and he grinned proudly.

"And I'm going to make sure I wear it next time I see Kavanagh. He'll have kittens, and I've always wanted a pet cat."

"You're incorrigible," she said, laughing at the thought of Kavanagh's face when he saw Rodney's new t-shirt. "Sheppard's a bad influence on you. Or in this case, maybe Radek is to blame?"

"He likes Kavanagh about as much as I do," he agreed sagely, and then, as was he wont sometimes, he changed tacks completely. "So, have I said thanks for standing your ground with the idiots who wanted to keep me on Earth? 'Cos I am grateful. Really. And I'm sure Sheppard is too, I'm sure his promotion is down to you, and don't bother to deny it."

"I'll take the fifth," she said.

"Thought you would. But thanks, anyway," he said, looking a little awkward. "And with that, I think I should try and get some sleep, as should you."

He stood, and then looked down at her.

"Well? Aren't you going to take my advice? I am a genius after all, so you should listen to me."

"In a bit," she said, shaking her head. Oh yes, he was back to normal.

"Okay."

He left, and she found herself smiling to herself. He'd come a long way this last year. Yes, he was still an arrogant, egotistical pain in the neck at times, but he had another, softer side to him. He just rarely showed it.

She sat in silence for a few more minutes before deciding to take his advice and head for bed. Maybe she would be able to sleep this time.

Entering her room, she noticed something on the small table next to her bed. It was a chocolate bar. A Hershey's Extra Dark chocolate bar, with cranberries, blueberries and almonds, her favourite, and on it a post it note with the words 'thank you' written on it. It wasn't signed, but she recognised Rodney's handwriting.

How had he found out that it was her favourite? Someone somewhere had tattled on her, clearly. She was touched by the thoughtfulness, and also the simplicity, behind the gift. Yes, he was still an annoying pain in the neck, but every now and then, he had his moments.

She slept well that night.

* * *

**Two: Carson's POV**

**Earth, four weeks after returning from Atlantis**

Ach, this was murder. All these people, and all of them more qualified than he was, no matter what Elizabeth might say. Well, he'd given her his shortlist, probably the longest shortlist ever, and it was in her hands now. Which was a huge relief to him.

Coming back to Earth was strange. He'd thought it would be wonderful, and that he'd never want to leave again, after being cut off for so long. And it was wonderful, in a way. It would certainly be so when he visited his mum and family in Scotland next week. But it wasn't as wonderful as he had thought it would be. And he certainly_ did_ want to go back to Atlantis, despite the dangers.

Atlantis was his home every bit as much as Earth. A feeling he was sure he'd seen reflected in the eyes of the others as well. More so for Rodney, who really didn't seem to think of Earth as home at all.

Maybe it wasn't, after everything he'd been through.

He was worried about the lad, and oh how Rodney would sputter and spark at being called that. He'd never seen the lad so quiet or subdued, and he suspected he knew why. It wasn't just the fear that the IOA, and other interested parties, might keep him here on Earth and away from his beloved city, but there was a fear deep inside that maybe they were going to dump him. Even after this last year, Rodney was still insecure about his place on Atlantis, and despite the way he had proven himself to be trustworthy, brave even, and certainly a valuable asset to the expedition, the boy's background of foster parents who passed him on, dumped him basically, on a regular basis was bound to working against him, and them.

He knew that Elizabeth was not going to let anyone keep Rodney on Earth against his wishes, but it would seem that Rodney wasn't so sure of that. They still had a way to go before they gained his full trust, but that wasn't a big surprise. The lad had had the worst possible time as a child and teenager, and from hints and dropped comments here and there, he knew that Rodney's family hadn't been that good to him either. Mental abuse was every bit as damaging as physical, and he had suffered both for most of his life prior to meeting them.

It would take time to overcome that past, if it was even possible. Carson was actually impressed by how far Rodney had come in such a short time. Though less impressed by his, and Radek's, recent walk on the edge of exhaustion. He understood that they didn't have much choice if they were to save the city, but the lack of sleep, as well as the stimulants he'd been forced to give them, had landed them both in the infirmary once the siege was finally ended, causing him grey hairs, of that he was sure.

Still, Elizabeth was in the final meetings with the IOA about Rodney's future, so by the time he returned from his vacation with the newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard, and Carson smiled at the way the man had mentioned his promotion in every conversation since, things would be sorted out and at least Rodney would know they weren't going to dump him. In fact, far from it; that they would fight to keep him.

He suddenly grinned, remembering Rodney's protests as John had dragged him off. He'd complained of being kidnapped, again, stating that John's promotion had obviously unhinged the man. He'd muttered and moaned about the enforced vacation, but underneath it all, he was grateful, Carson was certain. Still, it had been a sight to see, and hear, as the Colonel dragged the lad off. He only wished he could have gone with them, but he couldn't do that and see his own family as well.

One day, he'd have to introduce his new friends to his mum. Especially Rodney. She'd love him, he was sure of that. She'd always had a thing for waif and strays, whether animal or human. It would be interesting to see.

Maybe next time.

* * *

**Three: John's POV **

**Earth, five weeks after returning from Atlantis**

Returning to Earth had been a big thing, or so he had thought, even though he had his worries. One of them being who would replace him as CMO. He'd had no doubt he would return to Atlantis, just no longer in charge of the military. The other had been McKay. The physicist, and just because he didn't have any formal diplomas or degrees didn't make him any less of a physicist than if he had, was very unhappy about this return. Everyone had noticed his subdued behaviour, but Sheppard had decided on doing something about it.

The enforced vacation, as McKay referred to it, had worked wonders. Though it had also brought home to him the fact that Atlantis was his home every bit as much as Earth. And more so for Rodney, who seemed out of place here.

Still, the vacation had been interesting.

He'd dragged McKay onto a plane, and took him to Toronto, Canada. After all, the guy was Canadian, so if there was anywhere on Earth he might feel even the slightest bit comfortable, it would be his own country. It had been a good idea, though McKay viewed it more as a place to visit than his home country, but that was okay.

Sheppard smiled as he remembered the first time they'd entered a mall. Oh, the look on Rodney's face was amazing. He'd forgotten just how much _choice_ there was, and how many _things_ were on sale. Sheppard himself had to admit to feeling a little overwhelmed after a year of rationing their supplies, and trading with Pegasus natives, but Rodney…he went crazy. Bouncing from one store to another, exclaiming over things, and generally going nuts. It took all of his military know how to rein the big kid in, and get him to settle down to a more normal level of excitement.

First stop was a clothes store, which had been vastly entertaining. McKay sorely needed some casual clothes, and he went through the store like a mini-hurricane, before settling on an array of short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved t-shirts, which he wore together in a very un-cool manner, as well as a few long-sleeved shirts and ordinary t-shirts, and jeans. And shoes, trainers, socks, underwear…the less said about some of his choices the better; his taste in casual clothing was abysmal. Sheppard did try to steer him right, but he'd only succeeded to a small extent.

Then it was a music store, with McKay grabbing a whole load of CDs, not really knowing what music he liked and therefore just buying randomly. As he put it, any he didn't like he could pass on to someone else back home. It was the same with the DVDs, randomly chosen films and TV programmes. Sheppard ensured that he had all of the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings films in his collection, and slipped in some Star Trek films, as well as The Back to the Future ones.

McKay seemed determined to spend a large amount of the back pay he had been given for his time on Atlantis, even though he didn't know at that time if he'd be allowed to return, or collect a paycheque. But who was he to argue? It was McKay's money. The electronics shop had been a lot of fun too, with McKay being scornful about most of the contents, but buying an i-Pod, an expensive digital camera, a laptop, and some computer games to play on it.

They took a couple of trips back to the hire car to dump things when they got too much to carry, but McKay seemed determined to shop until he dropped.

As they were passing a shop that sold a mix of carved wooden items and ethnic art, Rodney had pulled to an abrupt stop. It seemed that a wooden bowl with carved maple leaves around the rim, and nature scenes carved into the sides had caught his attention. He'd said that Teyla would love it. So Sheppard had suggested that he introduced her to the concept of vacation gifts, and buy it her.

He had done so, and then went on to buy a carved chess set and case for Radek, a wooden African-style figurine for Elizabeth and, in the shop next door, a specialist fishing rod and case for Carson.

McKay had then gone furtive, a sure sign he was up to something, and suggested meeting him in the food hall a short while later. Sheppard had agreed, and on his way there went into a shop that sold specialist coffees and teas, buying some for Elizabeth, Teyla, Beckett, Zelenka, as well as McKay. He'd also picked up a holdall for McKay and placed the coffee into it, filling the remaining space with candy.

He'd felt a twinge of sadness. There was one person missing from his list of people to buy vacation gifts for, and that was Ford. It had still stung, the way he'd left. In the end, he decided to buy some of the coffee to keep to one side for if, no, _when_ they got Ford back and cured his addiction.

He'd then gone to meet up with McKay in the food hall, where there was another burst of wonder at the array of food on offer, before a settling on what to eat. Sheppard was pleased to see McKay so full of excitement, so energetic, and normal. It was a rare glimpse into the kid that still lurked under the surface.

Food shopping was yet another experience, and he had to rein McKay in again. The guy would have brought one of just about all the non-citrus food and drink in the place to try. Sheppard managed to calm him down, although they still ended up with more food than they really needed.

That night when he'd gone to his room, he'd found two packages on his bed with a hastily scrawled note 'To John' on one of them in McKay's writing. Glad that he had left the holdall with its goodies in McKay's room earlier, he carefully unwrapped the gifts, intrigued to see what the kid had brought him.

He grinned. The first one was a set of football DVDs, and the second was a mug with 'Instant Lieutenant Colonel: Just add bragging' on it. Yeah, he remembered there was a store at the mall that personalised t-shirts, mugs and such like. He was, of course, going to have to kill McKay, which was such a damned shame, as the kid had definitely been growing on him.

In the end, he didn't kill him. Instead, over the following days, they did some sightseeing, both in the city and the surrounding countryside, and even took a trip out to Niagara Falls. It had been a good vacation, very relaxing, and had brought the real Rodney McKay back to the surface.

When they returned to the SGC, the Atlantis personnel had all sighed in relief at the return of their Rodney, but the SGC personnel hadn't know what hit them. Especially when it was confirmed that he was an official member of the expedition, and was going back. McKay snapped, snarled, and proved his genius on a daily basis.

It was one hell of a show, and a wonder to behold.

* * *

**Four: Radek's POV **

**Earth, the day prior to boarding the Daedalus**

Radek had enjoyed being back on Earth, and especially his visit to his family back home. It had been nice to be somewhere he did not have to speak English for a change. To see his beloved country of birth, and enjoy the local food, and the alcohol.

It had been good, but he had also realised that he had changed, and that Atlantis was his home every bit as much as Earth. That had surprised him at first, but not now. Despite the danger, despite the problems, the thrill of discovery and achievement was intoxicating, and he found he loved the city for its mystery, as well as for its beauty.

And it was beautiful, enticing, addictive. Even without the ATA gene, it sang a song to him, in his heart. He was a lucky man, he had more than one place to call home now.

Not like Rodney, he suspected. Not judging by his reactions when they first arrived here. It had been unsettling, seeing him so quiet, so withdrawn. So unlike the Rodney he was now used to, foibles and all.

He was pleased when the Colonel had dragged him away on holiday. It had made a world of difference to the boy, and yes, although he tried to treat him as an adult, Rodney was still a boy as far as he was concerned. A rebellious, strong headed and at times impetuous boy, who had saved Atlantis more than once with his brilliant plans, and had saved his team more often than that, but still a boy.

Though his social blunders had endangered his team more than once as well. Rodney had a talent for upsetting the locals, and even Teyla's diplomacy was not always enough to smooth things over. But apparently he was learning to keep his mouth shut, keep his opinions, if not to himself, at least confined to his team.

Radek shook his head. Rodney truly was an unique individual; thankfully.

When he had returned from the vacation, he had shown his true colours. Not just with the return of his sarcastic ways, but with the gifts he had awkwardly given them, embarrassment colouring his cheeks and nervousness causing him to jitter in place, ready to bolt.

Each gift had been thoughtfully considered, and he knew he was not the only one to appreciate the time spent on choosing them. Colonel Sheppard had surprised them by giving gifts as well, stating that he was merely following tradition, and being even more embarrassed and awkward about it than Rodney had been.

He was dark horse, Sheppard, and for all his surface friendliness, as every bit wary about friendship as Rodney was. They were good for each other. Sheppard had the big brother thing going, and Rodney seemed happy to play the part of the younger sibling.

After much negotiating, or threats he suspected, by Elizabeth, Rodney was officially a part of the expedition. More than that, Elizabeth and himself had fought for Rodney to be officially recognised as Radek's second in command, to use a military term. But there was a condition to it. Rodney would have to do a degree, followed by a masters and then a doctorate. The IOA would arrange for him to do this via distance learning, though he might have to return to Earth on occasion to take exams, though these would be kept down to a minimum, and they would try to arrange them so that he did not have to return frequently.

Rodney had been pleased to hear he was Radek's second in command, less pleased about the degree. He had huffed that it was a complete waste of his time. Elizabeth had said it was a non-negotiable condition, but if he wanted to return to Atlantis as 'just another member of the science staff', then that was fine with her. He had scowled, he had ranted, and he had huffed, eventually agreeing that he would do it.

Radek was pleased. After all, anything could happen, and if Rodney ended up back on Earth permanently for whatever reason, such as they lost Atlantis, than having a doctorate would be more than just useful, it would be a requirement.

Also, in the American system, at the bachelor stage, Rodney would probably have to study a range of subjects, including some of the 'squishy' sciences and 'touchy feely' subjects. Rodney would not be pleased about that, but Radek thought it was a good thing. Not that he thought the boy would be likely to develop an appreciation for these subjects, but maybe he would be a little more tolerant of them.

Probably wishful thinking, but even if not, it was a good thing that Rodney learnt about other subjects, being entirely too focussed on physics, engineering and Ancient technology for his own good. Maybe he should introduce him to philosophy? He laughed at the thought. Then again, perhaps not.

* * *

**Five: Rodney's POV**

**Daedalus, five days out from Earth, just after talking with Elizabeth**

Rodney returned to his quarters, and settled down to sleep. However, his thoughts had a different idea about that.

Returning to Earth had been…scary. No, scratch that, it had been terrifying. Truly terrifying. All his own insecurities reared their ugly heads, and he was convinced that he would not be allowed to return to Atlantis, and that Elizabeth and the others would be relieved about that. That they would be happy to get rid of the problematic genius, even if it meant going without said genius.

He knew he wasn't being fair to them. They had shown over the past year that they liked him, not just for what he could do for them, but for himself. And yet, there was a part of him that still worried that it was all an act. That they only put up with him for his knowledge and intellect. He was sure that part of him was wrong, but he couldn't seem to put it to rest, not entirely. The trip back to Earth had stirred all these fears back up, and he'd retreated into himself.

There had been debriefings, and he had sat through them all, contributing only when necessary. He'd hated every minute of it, and felt like he was being analysed by those in charge, which he really didn't like. Especially as he feared he was being found wanting.

Four weeks of it had been hellish. And then Sheppard had kidnapped him, no other word for it, and taken him to Canada.

That had been great fun, though it also highlighted what he already knew. Sure, the place was nice, familiar even, but it wasn't home. He'd forgotten how beautiful the country was, in fact, how beautiful the whole planet was, and being able to buy just about anything was so very, very cool, but it wasn't home. A part of him felt connected to the place, to Earth, but he didn't feel comfortable there. He didn't want to stay for very long.

Atlantis was his home. Earth was a place he would visit, and would love in his own way, but it wasn't home, and never would be. His home was in another galaxy now, with his new family.

And they were his family, in all but blood. He'd found a place to fit in, and people to fit in with. Despite the fears that still plagued him from time to time, he had no doubts now that they wanted him on Atlantis. Elizabeth had fought for him. Radek too, and he knew the others would have as well if they'd felt it would have helped any. They wanted him around, and although there was still that little niggling worry that it was only for his skills, he was sure it was more than that. Much, much more.

Which was good, if still scary. He'd lost members of his family, like Peter. It had taken a while for Peter and himself to become friends, and it wasn't until he'd died that Rodney had realised how much he'd cared about him. It still hurt, badly.

Peter had been the one to let slip what Elizabeth's favourite candy was. There had been a group of them discussing candy and other things that they missed, and apparently, it was a similar conversation with Elizabeth that had revealed her favourite. Peter preferred Cadbury's chocolate to Hershey's himself, and Rodney had brought a few bars of that to try, sort of in memory for his friend. It was stupid and sentimental, but it had seemed right at the time. Still did.

And then there was Ford. At least he was still alive, hooked up on enzyme and not thinking straight, but alive. Well, hopefully. There was still a chance that maybe they could find him, maybe they could bring him back, and maybe they could cure the addiction, but to Rodney, that seemed like a lot of maybes. And whilst he might not have been as close to Aiden as to others on Atlantis, he'd been a part of the team, and Rodney missed him.

He didn't know how he'd survive if he lost Sheppard, Teyla, Elizabeth, Carson or Radek. It would hurt. It would hurt more than losing Ford or Peter hurt, and he would do everything in his power to stop it from happening.

They were his family now, and Atlantis was his home. He'd do whatever it took to protect them and the city. Because it would be just too painful if he failed.

On a brighter note, everyone had seemed to like the gifts he'd brought them, and he couldn't wait to see Teyla's response to the bowl. He was sure she'd like it.

And he had the 'I'm with genius' t-shirt to annoy Kavanagh with. He'd also found one with the 'nothing to declare' quote to replace his old ratty one. Kavanagh was so going to fume. Especially the third t-shirt, that he hadn't mentioned to Elizabeth. The one that said 'Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film'. Oh, that one was really going to cause some ructions with the guy, who was so clearly jealous of Rodney's enhanced memory.

It was going to be so, so sweet.

* * *

"_I was little boy lost, and I was little boy blue_

_I am little Jack Frost but I am warm through and through  
It's not easy to hide when your heart's on full view_

_Oh, tonight, cruel world be forgiving  
Oh, for once in my life I am living"_

_Lyrics from 'Little Jack Frost' by Kate Rusby_

* * *

The End

_A/N:_

_1) The 'Instant Lieutenant Colonel: Just add bragging' slogan is my own Rodney-fied version of 'Instant human: Just add coffee' slogan I saw on the internet, and which I believe is anonymous._

_2) 'Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film' quote is from the internet, and again, as far as I know, it is anonymous._


End file.
